The Portland daily press., 1887-12-03
AN AMERICAN PoMPEII.
a Buried City unearthed In South
ern Arizona Territory.

Tucson Letter to Washington Post.l
Some very important discoveries concern
ing prehistoric races have been made during
the past year year by Professor Frank Cush-
man, who has charge Of an exploring exped-
ition in southern Arizona. He was occupied
in the Salt River Valley the past summer
The Salt River Valley is the most fertile re-
gion in Arizona. 1t lies about eighty miles
northwest of Tucson on either side Of the
Salt river, near where it joins the ella. Fa-
Their Keno made explorations there about
1897. when he travelled through Arizona to
establish Jesuit missions, and he speaks OF
il as having considerable population oil
Indians, who have since become known as
the Pimas and Maricopas. But he discover
ed traces Of a heavy population that has ex-
listed long before and that has become ex-
tinct. Among the evidences were old irri-
eating canals, ruins of buildings and stone
utensils, both for war and domestic use.
Mr.. Cushman has been at work several
months on the ruins OF Salt River valley,
and had the pleasure of making him visit
in the early part of August His camp was
at the edge of what had evidently been a
CITY of considerable size, and about 800 yards
away was the citadel or fortress OF this city.
we walked over to this citadel and took a
general survey from that point. 1t had evil
IDENTIFY been building of considerable. size
and strength, probably several stories high,
and had its foundation laid deep In the earth.
The material used in its construction was
sun-dried clay, the same as that used by the
Mexicans of the lower and middle classes,
and before Mr.. Cushman began his explora-
tions there was nothing to mark its where
abouts except sort of obl0ng hill0ck or
mound. Little of the walls above the found
ations were found intact, but the ground
plan could be traced In every detail, as well
as the lines of the outer wall The rooms
were of different sizes, and seemed to have
been constructed with much architectural
skill. A number of the smaller apartments
had undoubtedly been constructed for burial
tons were found in them, the heads being
invariably in the east. In one. Of these
vaults was the skeleton of a child. Mr..
Cushman was of the opinion that the build
ing had been a sort of combined citadel and
sacred temple, and that the remains Of those
found there were those Of priests and their
families. He said he had encountered many
evidences that convinced him that the people
who had inhabited the city had reached the
period in civilization when the priest Is su-
preme in power. A Chief or King lived In
the citadel, but he was under the control OF
the priests. Just why Mr.. Cameron took
this view could not clearly understand, un-
less il was because of certain relics he mad
found in some of the tomhs.
The city extended out in all directions
from the palace or temple, and the founda-
tions OF many of the houses had been exposed
many of them consisting of but a single
room: but now and then there would be one
of larger and more ample proportions, and
in most of these larger ones there had been
found burial vaults and skeletons. Two
thousandIof these skeletons had been exhum-
ed when was there. There was q general
burial ground, where the dead seemed to
have been thrown in promiscuously, sort
of Potters field, but the skeletons here were
SO broken up that no good specimens could
be obtained. The richer people buried their
dead in their houses, building alright vaults
for the purpose, but the poor classes were
disposed of much as they are to-day in our
larger cities. -,
pottery in the tombs, as well as in and
about the dwellings. Il saw a number OF
pieces that were well preserved and that
had been painted with much skill. All the
best specimens seem to have been used for
sacred purposes, and this was, no doubt, one
reason Mr.. Cushman had for believing these
people, who ever they were, had arrived at
neriod in their national history when the
priests were at the head OF affairs. These
| finer pieces Of pottery were OF many differ
ent shades, but were all Of light color, with
greatly Of ancient Egyptian pottery. The
| inferior specimens look much like that made
by the Arizona Indians of to-day. and which
one may see brought into Tucson almost
every day for sale. No iron, copper or metal
instruments of any kind have been found,
but great quantities of stone axes, stone
pestles and mOrtars, bone needles and knives
and other such materials as belong to the
stone age But the skill with which these
articles were made was far superior to that
shown by the Indians found in America by
the whites. These prehistoric jewellers OF
southern Arizona were people of very SUI
perior intelligence. They built cities that
ranked with those found in Mexico by C0rtez
and were in advance of those Of the Colorado
Zuni tribe Of the present day. Mr.. Cushman
thinks they were much the same people as
the Zunis, and / may add that he had two
very intelligent Zuni Indians with him when
was at his camp. He had sent for them,
thinking they might assist him in identifying
the people into whose remains he was max
ing these explorations,
Mr.. Cushman has found a good deal OF
wheat and barley and other grain, all of il
of course, in a charred, blackened condition
and he has also traced several canals and has
found the ruins of large reservoir, so that
he has no doubt that extensive irrigation
had been carried on, and that all the valley
had been under cultivation. He thinks there
must have been population of at least 25,-